Bauer Business Focus: Adem Ekmekci

Published on June 5, 2014

Turkish Airlines General Manager Adem Ekmekci stopped by Bauer Business Focus recently to elaborate on the growing traffic from Istanbul to Houston.

On Bauer Business Focus — A conversation on the relationship between Turkey and Houston with Houston Public Media News 88.7 Business Reporter Andrew Schneider.

Turkish Airlines General Manager Adem Ekmekci stopped by Bauer Business Focus recently to elaborate on the growing traffic from Istanbul to Houston, the airline having raised flight capacity between the hubs by 72 percent over the past year.

Turkish Airlines began direct flights from Houston to Istanbul for just over a year, starting with four flights a week that have turned into daily shuttles. The rise in flight capacity came from the business sector, but the airline sees demand from a broad range of travelers.

“Houston has been a great city for Turkish Airlines,” Ekmekci said. “As you know, Houston is a major market hub in the United States and then a hub for the global travelers. The corporate traveler, business and also the relative’s ethnic communities, have a lot of demand from the Houston market.”

There are over 250 Houston businesses that have direct business relationships with Turkey, Ekmekci added, and 145 businesses in the Houston area have corporate locations in both cities.

“The traffic between Houston and Istanbul has tripled since we started operations,” Ekmekci said. “For instance, the Offshore Technology Conference we just had in Houston, we met more than 100 investors in Houston on both sides. Houston and Turkish investors have very much engaged with this type of business here.”